By
Jack Moore

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.)

When President Barack Obama announced he'd only use
use his authority to end the federal pay freeze after Congress passes a budget,
federal unions decried the move as a de facto extension of the freeze.

Because lawmakers have already reached an agreement on a short-term
spending measure funding the government through the first six months of the fiscal
year, feds won't see a pay raise until at least next spring.

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.)

Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), whose district in the Washington, D.C., suburbs is
home to many federal employees, said the continuing resolution is all but a done
deal. And while it's not perfect, it's at least a path forward, he said.

"I think it's a practical acknowledgment of the reality on Capitol Hill right now
and that a CR was probably the best result one could hope for in the current
political circumstance," he told In Depth with Francis Rose.

Still, Sarbanes said he understands the frustration voiced by the unions and other
federal advocacy organizations — especially because pay and benefits have
frequently been targeted by some lawmakers.

Noting the current two-year federal pay freeze that federal unions say has netted
the government at least $60 billion in deficit reduction, Sarbanes said he
believes federal employees "ought to be taken off the table in terms of additional
contributions given what they've already put into the mix."

Sarbanes said he's worried the constant talk of cuts to federal pay and benefits
could impact the morale
of federal employees particularly "at a time when we need the best and the
brightest to stay in government service and be attracted to government service."

Sequestration still a concern

The automatic, across-the-board sequestration cuts, set to take effect in January,
remain another cloud on the budget horizon.

Sarbanes said he doesn't yet see a "clear path forward" on deficit negotiations to
head off the cuts.

But given the drastic circumstances, he foresees some kind of agreement that will
at least "dull the impact" of the cuts Sarbanes said.

"Now, what that agreement will be, what form it will take and what burden will
need to be carried in that exercise, it's impossible to know at this stage," he
said, predicting any action would come after the November election. "But my hope
would be that members of Congress and the administration will come together after
the election — whatever administration it may be — recognizing that
these issues have to be tackled and take what steps are needed to avoid this
fiscal cliff."